Page 15 of Secret Triplets for Christmas

I nodded. That was another item on my list for today.

That afternoon,I drove to the police station hoping I’d get news that would allow me to relax and bring my girls home. As soon as I entered the building, a uniformed officer escorted me back to a room, where I found Detective Donovan already waiting.

He stood, giving me a friendly smile. “I hope you don’t mind my sitting in. I figured if my and Riker’s cases overlapped, it would be easier for us to talk to you together.”

“That’s fine. It’s nice to have a familiar face.” That was true. Plus, he’d known Liam as a child so he was invested in solving the murder and this current mystery.

The door opened and Detective Riker entered. He looked about the same from when I saw him last year during a follow-up to Liam’s murder investigation. Perhaps with a few more wrinkles and gray hair, but still, the air of confidence that he’d solve the crime.

“Ms. McKinnon, thanks for coming in.”

"Of course. Anything to help."

He motioned for me to sit, and Detective Donovan held out a chair for me.

Detective Riker sat across from me. "Let's get right to it. Has anything come up missing from your home? Any idea what the intruder was after?"

“Not that I was able to see when I looked yesterday.”

“Your statement to Donovan yesterday was that you weren’t aware of having anything of Liam’s that anyone would want.”

“I don’t have anything of Liam’s at all. He and I were broken up when he died. He’d already moved out.”

He reviewed notes in a file then looked up at me. “Is it possible that he hid something important? It might still be hidden, and you don't even know you have it."

"Based on the state of her home, I doubt it. Every room was torn apart," Detective Donovan said. “If there was something hidden, they’d have found it.”

I shuddered as I remembered the state of my home. Even my girls’ room was invaded. “I’ve moved twice since Liam’s murder and have never come across anything while packing that was his or could have hidden something. I can’t imagine what he’d need to hide in the first place.”

"Evidence of illegal activity—cash, weapons, drugs. Anything that would implicate him or his associates?"

I tried to think of items I owned that could hide the items he suggested, but nothing came to mind.

“No. Is it possible that the break-in isn’t related?” I knew it was wishful thinking, but I was getting more and more fearful of this situation.

“I doubt it,” Detective Riker said. “When you factor in that Mr. Quinlan got the same text—”

“Oliver?”

“Yes. He received a text not long after you did, and both came after your break-in.”

“It’s possible our burglar is on his way to California to search his place,” Detective Donovan said.

“Maybe,” Detective Riker conceded. “But Quinlan doesn't believe he has whatever the culprit is looking for either."

I swallowed as the realization that Oliver was involved in this too washed through me. Were the police going to want him to come back to Boston? The thought of Oliver here, near my girls, made my heart race.

"Will he have to come here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Right now, there's no need.”

I breathed a sigh of relief and sent a silent prayer that they’d be able to resolve this situation without involving Oliver.

“I imagine you knew Mr. Quinlan?”

I wasn’t sure what Detective Riker’s question had to do with anything. “He was Liam’s brother and they were close. For a short time, when Liam lived with me, Oliver rented the extra bedroom.”

“Maybe Liam hid the item in his things?” Detective Donovan suggested.

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